As we all know The X Factor has been going for 10 years this year and it’s close to finding the winner of its current series. It’s looking likely to be Sam Bailey who will be the first person to win from the Overs category since Steve Brookstein in the first series. To mark the 10th anniversary the marketing folk at Sony have decided to release The X Factor album which is a compilation of tracks from the stars of the series.
The 2-disc 34 track compilation features a mixture of the show’s winners and the acts that have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the music industry. The acts you’d expect are here including Leona Lewis, One Direction, JLS, Alexandra Burke, Rebecca Ferguson, Little Mix, Cher Lloyd and Olly Murs. The best tracks are Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love which opens the collection, Little Mix’s infectious Wings and One Direction’s ballady moment Little Things.
We’re pleased to see that oft-ignored winners Matt Cardle, Joe McElderry and Shayne Ward are included on this compilation too each getting two tracks. Last year’s winner James Arthur features too with his winner’s single Impossible and recent single You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You.
As if to prove that winning isn’t always the quick road to success, the compilation has snubbed original winner Steve Brookstein and 2007 winner Leon Jackson. We already know that Brookstein is very bitter about his time on the show but surely one track from each could have been included? After all there are tracks here from Marcus Collins and Aiden Grimshaw, both of which have faded into obscurity pretty soon after their initial releases.
There are some other choice inclusions too with Amelia Lily’s You Bring Me Joy, two of Misha B’s ‘hits’ and Union J’s under-performing Carry You.
The X Factor album doesn’t really set out to prove what it’s trying to. We’re sure the intention here is to strengthen the show’s position as a great platform for talent but half of the artists included on this compilation have had less than stellar careers after The X Factor. Amelia Lily hasn’t actually released her long-delayed debut album, Union J are struggling with theirs and Diana Vickers has taken a nosedive to the lower end of the charts. The X Factor has proven, if nothing else, that being on the show and even winning is no guarantee of a career and this patchy collection highlights that all too well.
